


Ficlet collection

by shayera



Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Ficlet Collection, Fluff, Gen, Team, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-14
Updated: 2009-11-13
Packaged: 2017-10-03 21:29:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 2,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shayera/pseuds/shayera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eleven ficlets of 50-400 words each, written for various prompts at a challenge thread on LJ. Ranges from angst to fluff to AU to humor and epicness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Prompt: "It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time"**

 

It wasn't an easy decision to make, but it seemed like the best one. The only one. She did it because she loved them.

But because _they_ loved _her_, they refused to accept it. She rejected them, spurned them, _begged_ them to go away, but they kept going. In the end, she was forced to admit that she had been mistaken.

There were other, better, options.


	2. Chapter 2

**Prompt: Roads Not Taken**

Sometimes, at night, Vivi will still wake up thinking she is aboard a tiny little caravel somewhere on the unknown seas. She thinks she can hear Nami's soft breaths close by, and further away Luffy's snores, and some of the unidentifiable sounds the others make in their sleep. Her bed seems to be rocking softly with the waves. It feels comforting, safe, a place where she belongs.

As the dream leaves her, she finds herself back in her chamber in the Alubarna Palace. Carue is there, and although she can't see them, her family and friends and the entire country that she loves are all around her. There is no doubt that _this_ is where she belongs.

"I'm a princess, not a pirate," she tells herself, smiling at the fading images of the dream. She _wants_ to be a princess - a queen, some day - and she never wanted to be a pirate.

Still, she misses them so much.


	3. Chapter 3

**Prompt: Roads Not Taken** (2)

Luffy had ordered the ship turned around immediately, and after seeing what was left of that vivre card, none of the others had seen any reason to argue. Five of them remembered the grinning, cocky, insanely strong youth that had visited them briefly back on Alabasta, and the others only needed to look at Luffy's face to understand that his brother was important to him.

Luffy himself maintained that a good part of his worry was about pissing off his brother for worrying too much, but he made sure Nami kept the ship steadily on the vivre card's course.

The fact that they were quickly approaching Marine Headquarters gave a hint about what kind of trouble Ace was in, but Luffy ignored any suggestions from the more sensible members of his crew to slow down and think it over. His silent determination was unflinching, and his confidence was contagious.

However, none were prepared for the sight that met them once they caught up with their target.

It wasn't just the state Ace was in, tied to the mast of a peculiar raft ship, with half-tended wounds bleeding through their bandages, skin pale and pallid, head hanging limp as if unconscious or worse, although that was the part that made Luffy stand on the Sunny's figurehead long before they reached feasible boarding distance and yell at the top of his lungs:

_"Ace!! I've come to save you!"_

It was the smile of the oddly familiar-looking man standing next to Ace. Maybe it was just the tension of the situation, but there seemed to be a darkness hanging over him - not a Marine after all - as he looked back at them across the water. Zoro's swords appeared in his hands as if by magic, Nami charged her climatact, and Chopper crunched on a Rumble Ball.

Luffy needed no preparation. Without waiting for the Sunny to come close enough for the others to follow, he rocketed himself over to the raft ship.

The darkness around the bearded man seemed to grow. He laughed. "Monkey D Luffy coming to see me?" he shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear. "It seems the Marines are going to get _two_ expensive presents!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Prompt: Mine**

The pirates of the five seas knew. The peoples of a myriad islands knew. The Marine soldiers of a thousand bases knew it very well, and never bothered him.

But some people refuse to learn. Today, it was time for the rulers of the world to find out: _You do not touch what belongs to Whitebeard._


	5. Chapter 5

**Prompt: Robin, Hammer Swimming Lessons**

"Come on, Robin! It's fun!"

Luffy was wearing a ridiculously sized life-saver that still barely kept him afloat as he splashed around in the deep end of the Sunny's larboard side swimming pool, a fenced in part of the sea. Sanji and Usopp were down there too, busily splashing water on Luffy and each other, though Robin had no doubt that they were also keeping a careful eye on their captain in case he would slip off the floating device and sink.

Sunbathing on the Sunny's grassy deck, Robin politely declined the invitation for the third time. It was good to see the kids having fun, but... It wasn't that water scared her, exactly. But for a Devil Fruit eater - and she couldn't remember a time when she hadn't been one - water was like fire. Highly useful, but dangerous to play around with. _Play with water, and you drown._ It was fascinating, how Luffy had managed to go through life without learning that lesson.

"I'm going to go down for a while, at least," Nami said, appearing behind her. "Are you sure you don't want to? You look really warm."

"I'm alright," Robin assured her. "I can always go inside if the sun becomes too much."

"Of course," Nami said, but then she frowned. "Come to think of it, I've never seen you use the pool at all...?"

It felt like a question, so Robin replied, softly, "I can't swim, you know."

Nami grinned. "You shouldn't worry about that," she said. "The shallow end is perfectly safe! And even if something would happen against all odds - we're all here to pick you up. Besides, there's nothing like a dip in sea water on a hot day like this. You've never tried it, have you?"

In the end, Robin was persuaded to try to pool out, to Luffy's joy and Sanji's great glee. Using a few extra hands and feet, she climbed down the side of the ship and settled herself on a makeshift bench she made out of a couple of crossed arms. Her legs dangling into the water, that was as far as she was willing to go for the moment - but she had to admit that Nami was right, it did feel nice.

And with her nakama's smiling faces all around her, any unease drifted away with the waves. She was safe, with them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Prompt: Leaving a Mark**

"I need the tattoo redone," Ace declared, puffing up his chest in a way that clashed horribly with his bruised, bandaged, half-starved body. "Now."

"We've just barely reached safety, and that's the first thing on your mind, eh?" Marco said, shaking his head.

Tana, the physician who doubled as the main tattooer of the Whitebeard pirates, looked at him sternly. "No way, Ace," she said. "You're in no condition to have something like that done on you right now, and you know that better than anyone else."

They didn't ask what he meant, or why he needed it done - they had seen Ace's back when they cleaned and bandaged it, and knew that state it was in. The whiplashes were deep enough to scar, and the burns - the mere thought that someone had managed to torture their fireball kid with _fire_ was enough to make Marco gnash his teeth - the burns would leave part of the symbol blurred, even after healing.

Ace didn't waver. "I know, but I don't care! I can't stand to have it like this! I can't..." His voice shrunk slightly. "I can't look oyaji in the eyes like this. Not with Impel Down all over my back instead of my love for him. It's not fair! And..." He trailed off, avoiding the words that would say what all knew but none wanted to admit. _Their beloved father might be dying._

"Do you really think oyaji cares about that?" Marco asked rhetorically, trying to make the kid see some sense. Instead, Ace's stubborn determination only settled deeper on his face.

"Look," Tana said. "I can't do anything about the tattoo until your back has healed. If I tried, the ink would settle in the wounds and it would end up looking horrible, even disregarding the pain and the risk for infection."

"But...!"

"But I'll make a compromise," Tana continued. "I'll draw the symbol on the bandages on your back today, and every day you want me too until it is healed and you can get the tattoo fixed. How is that?"

Ace seemed poised to argue, but then he relaxed. "Alright," he said. "Thank you very much." His polite bow was cut short by a wince of pain, but he smiled. As Tana turned to go get a brush and set of colors, he called after her, "I'll give it five days!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Prompt: Adopted Sibling**

Iceburg used to believe he was special. He was, after all, the one and only disciple to the greatest shipwright who had ever lived. He barely remembered his birth parents anymore, but Tom was the only father he cared about. He was told he had talent, and if he worked hard, he believed that maybe one day he would become almost as great as his mentor. It was his dream and his pride.

Then one day, the rude little half-naked, snotty _brat_ appeared. Not only did he appear, but somehow he made Tom take him in - even though he had no manners, no sense, and probably no shipbuilding talent either. Not only did he make Tom take him in, but precisely _because_ he was stupid and loud, he made Tom focus all his attention on him.

Iceburg hated Franky at first sight.

And yet... somehow the brat managed to get under his skin. As the weeks turned into months and the month into years, he found that he had started taking the idiot's presence for granted. They still fought, every day, but that, too, had turned into something familiar, _the way things should be_. Iceburg found that he wouldn't want to lose his little brother any more than he would want to lose Tom himself.


	8. Chapter 8

**Prompt: "Buggy vs Law in a fight"**

Trafalgar Law smirked. "Room."

The clown - literally a clown, not just a pathetic loser like the people who usually challenged him - had obviously never heard of his power before, or he wouldn't just stand there laughing like a fool while the invisible aura of Law's cutting power engulfed him. This could be fun.

The clown's body split neatly, bloodlessly, limbs scattering every which way. At this point, most enemies freaked out - Law was slightly taken aback by the clown's severed head continuing to laugh, unperturbed by the fact that it was rolling freely on the ground.

"Is that the best you got?" the head asked. "Because in that case..."

Law raised an eyebrow when the clown's body parts started floating around with no interference from him and put themselves together again.

"I've heard of you!" the clown, standing whole again, declared. "But your flashy ability have no effect on me! I have eaten the..."

"Fine," Law muttered, tuning out the rest of the clown's rant. Closing the distance between them in a few steps, he punched the still talking clown in the face, knocking him out cold. Sometimes the simplest way was the best one.


	9. Chapter 9

**Prompt: "The Older Generation"**

Roger's death had been the end of an era, and the beginning of a new one. His last words had inspired uncountable new, young pirates to raise the skull and take to the seas - and to combat them, countless new, young marines.

Out of those who sailed the seas today, few remembered the old times - the times of the Pirate King and the Great Heroes - as anything other than legends. One by one, the great pirates and marine soldiers of the previous era had died, retired, or somehow disappeared.

Those few that hadn't were hailed as the most powerful men in the world. Fleet Admiral Sengoku controlled the vast forces of the marines. Vice-Admiral Garp was second to the Admirals only by lacking a Devil Fruit ability, but even they had very little authority over him, and he handled his business in any way he pleased. And Whitebeard... Whitebeard was known, feared and loved as the most powerful pirate on the five seas.

Having lived through the twists and turns of history together, they respected each other. There was no love lost between them, but after long years on the sea, they had reached a balance that they would rather not disturb. A balance that, if upheld, would let the last vestiges of the old era pass away quietly and leave way for the new generations.

However, pride and determination runs high, and some things refuse to die quietly. Today, the old guard would engage in a battle that would end their era once and for all, and set a new course for the future.


	10. Chapter 10

**Prompt: Robin and Crocodile locked in a cafe or something with books and coffee**

"Oh well," Miss Allsunday said with a shrug. "I didn't expect it to be here, but it was worth checking out."

"You didn't expect it to be here?" Crocodile snarled. "Did you expect it to be a _trap_?" He gestured with his hook at the wall of sand and earth filling the opening where the stairway to the surface had been. "I have to wonder why you didn't tell me that beforehand. I really do appreciate honesty in my employees." His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"It happens, sometimes," Miss Allsunday said, paying no heed to his tone. "I didn't expect this in particular to be a trap, though." She started rummaging through her backpack and produced a well-worn book and a thermos. "Coffee?"

"No! I'm not staying here a moment longer than I have to." His hand started to turn to sand, but Miss Allsunday stopped him with a hand of her own, growing from his shoulder.

"Don't be silly," she told him. "If you collapse the ceiling with your abilities, I'd be buried in sand, and then I'd never be able to read that Phoneglyph for you."

Crocodile shook his head reluctantly, but didn't press the issue. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

"We wait. The Mr One couple know that we're here - they'll have us out soon enough once they realize we're not back." She filled her spare cup with hot, black coffee. "You're welcome to the coffee," she said and offered him the cup. "I have a couple of books, too, in case you want something to read to pass the time."

Crocodile snorted and didn't take the cup. "Let's hope for your sake that they'll be here shortly," he hissed, then started pacing the small chamber.


	11. Chapter 11

**Prompt: Whitebeard gets married**

"Daddy, daddy!" the five-year-old said, having excitedly bombarded his father with questions about his pirate life ever since he came home for a visit, but showing no signs of slowing down. "If Whitebeard is your daddy, does that mean he's my granddaddy? Because I don't have a granddaddy, and it would be _great_ to have a granddaddy!"

The pirate smiled at his son. "You're right, of course he is." He was sure Whitebeard wouldn't mind.

"But then who is your mommy? Do I have a grandmommy? Is Whitebeard married? Did he leave her on an island and come visit sometimes like you do with us? Or is she a pirate too?"

"That's..." That was a difficult question. He didn't want to say no, but of course Whitebeard wasn't married. If he had ever been, it must have been far in the past, but even that was doubtful - he wasn't the kind of man who'd get attached to a single person, or a single place, when the entire world and all it's people lay before him. And as for a mother, the old man had always said that all of his crew were the children of him and...

"Of course you have a grandmother!"

"I do? Cool! What's she like? Can I meet her?"

"She's old, but very beautiful. When she's in a good mood she very nice, but when she's angry she gets really scary. And she likes to dress in blue." He grinned. "I think you might have already met her, but I promise to introduce you properly some day. Perhaps the day you're ready to set sail on your own."

His son beamed, and the pirate decided it was a good enough answer.


End file.
